All The King's Men: Return to Innocence
by tedlibear
Summary: In the young lives of Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang, innocence will not last forever. Instead, it fades with time. What happens to them as the innocence of their childhood begins to crumble? Chapter 13 is uploaded. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Pasta Night

Chapter 1: Pasta Night

* * *

Balancing expertly on a stone fence, Riza Hawkeye pointed and laughed at Roy Mustang who had fallen off. The autumn breeze danced through the trees and carried Riza's laughter far into the distance.

"Riza, stop laughing. A leaf blew in my face and I got distracted…Hey! I said stop laughing. It isn't funny." Roy shouted defiantly, rubbing his bottom while the seven year old girl's laughter continued to ring in his ears.

"You're just making excuses." Riza accused, still giggling. "You're a whole year older, so you're supposed to have better balance than me."

"Be quiet! It's the leaves' fault!"

"Sure, if that's what _you_ say." Riza teased as she turned around, walking backwards with her arms out for balance.

"Show off." Roy muttered to himself.

"So when are your parents getting back from their business trip?" Riza questioned while keeping her balance.

"Tomorrow." Roy smiled happily.

"Aww, that means you won't be having dinner with me and Dad tomorrow night." Riza mentioned reluctantly.

"Well, maybe you can come to my house for dinner tomorrow. But I'll ask Mom and Dad about it when they get home tomorrow morning. Okay?"

"Okay then. Don't forget." Riza continued to walk expertly on the cobblestone fence as Roy followed beside her on the path. "Hey, Roy! I'll race you home to dinner!"

"Hey, wait for me!"

"Hurry up, or we'll be late!" Riza shouted before jumping off the stone fence. "Last one there is doing the dishes! See you later, Roy!"

"Ah! Not fair, Riza! You got a head start!" Roy exclaimed, trying his best to keep up.

The lively pair of children were soon approaching Riza's house. Remembering Tatsu, Riza slowed down and allowed Roy to pass her.

"Hah! Look who will be doing dishes now!" Roy declared triumphantly as he sped past Riza. _I'm almost there! Just a little further!_

Smiling slyly to herself, Riza followed quickly behind. Upon reaching the door and flinging it open, Roy was promptly flattened by the young husky who had happily bound from the inside the house to meet him.

"Ah! Doggie slobber! Riza get your dog off me!" Roy tried to fend himself but in vain as he was smothered with wet licks from Tatsu.

"I win. You get to do the dishes again." Riza said with a sly smile as she walked inside with a deliberately slow gait. "Play with Tatsu. I'll be in the kitchen helping Dad make spaghetti."

"Argh! Why do I always forget about Tatsu!" Roy muttered, bending down to pick up a ball. _Stupid, evil dog. Why am I playing with you after you made me do the dishes?_

When the noise of clanging pots was replaced by the clinking of plates and utensils, a pleasant aroma began to float outside from the open window.

"Dinner's ready!" Riza shouted, sticking her head out the window. "Don't forget to wash your hands."

_Finally! You get to starve out here, you mutt, while I'm inside eating. Hah!_ Roy stuck his tongue out at Tatsu, who promptly leapt on him once again, smothering Roy with a second barrage of wet licks before dashing through the door that Riza was holding open. _Eww, not again.._. Roy followed shortly behind and headed for the kitchen sink.

"Why does _she_ get to eat in here?" Roy asked sullenly after washing his hands.

"She's part of our family, too, Roy."

Roy sat down at the table in the seat across from Riza, while her father placed three large bowls of spaghetti on the table.

"Alright, kids. Help yourselves."

"Thanks!" Riza and Roy chorused in unison.

Roy could hardly wait to start as he quickly shoved his fork into the savory bowl laid before him, and Riza followed suit.

"Mmmm… yummy." Roy praised as he helped himself to his bowl of spaghetti.

"You like it? I've been practicing hard." Riza answered proudly as she watched Roy savoring each bite. "Dad is a great teacher."

"It's quite easy teaching such a talented student." Riza's father added, and a smug grin appeared on his daughter's face. "But don't let it get to your head, young miss."

"Mr. Hawkeye, maybe I can be your apprentice someday, too! Then, I can make spaghetti for myself whenever I want." Roy fantasized excitedly about the idea of having spaghetti every single night.

After finishing dinner, Roy hoped Riza had forgotten about the dishes and began quietly sneaking out of the kitchen. To his dismay, Roy soon found himself being dragged back into the kitchen. Although he struggled, he could not break from Riza's grip on his arm.

"Where do you think you're going, Roy? You know you have to do the dishes. No excuses."

"Aw, but I don't want to do the dishes."

"Once Roy finishes, you two come join me by the fireplace and I'll read you a story."

"Really?" Roy responded. "Yay!"

Roy grudgingly made his way to the kitchen sink, while Riza cuddled with Tatsu by the fireplace in the study. Riza's father slowly browsed through the countless number of books occupying his library's shelves. After a few minutes, Riza entered the kitchen. Roy heard a stool being dragged across the kitchen floor and looked to see Riza climbing up beside him.

"I'll help you out. But this is only so we can hear the story faster. Okay?"

After finishing the dishes, Riza and Roy quickly scurried into the study. Riza's father was sitting his favorite chair with a book already chosen.

"Daddy, is that the pasta story?" Riza asked as they settled before him on the rug where Tatsu had settled down comfortably with a large bone.

"Yes. But after a little bit, you two need to go to bed. It's already late, and Roy's parents are coming back tomorrow morning."

"Okay, then." Riza replied reluctantly. "Let's start!"

"Once upon a time, there was a prince who ruled the Land of Pasta. He was a very selfish prince and never thought of anybody else…"


	2. Chapter 2: The Lantern Festival

Chapter 2: The Lantern Festival

* * *

"Your balance is improving, Roy." Riza teased with a smirk as she walked behind Roy on the stone fence. "Have you been practicing?"

Roy flustered sheepishly but remained silent, still concentrating carefully on his footing. _Thank goodness I'm walking in front of her this time_. Riza giggled as she followed behind him.

"It's Friday. It's Friday!" Riza sang happily. "I really hope these clouds clear up before the festival tonight." She added, looking up at the sky with no need to watch her footing unlike her companion.

"Umm…yeah, me too." Roy responded, thankful for the change in subject. "Which festival is it again?"

"Roy!" Riza exclaimed in shock. "Don't tell me you've forgotten all about the Lantern Festival, you dummy! How could you forget? It's like the biggest, best one of the year!"

"S-sorry." Roy replied who had completely forgotten about the festival.

Roy had been so busy thinking about Riza's eighth birthday next week that he had completely forgotten about the festival. Every night, all that filled head, not to mentions his hands as well, had been needles and yarn. To purl this and knit that, to hold these stitches and add those stitches. He had been secretly knitting Riza a scarf for her birthday.

Roy had been adamant about doing it all by himself. However, he soon found that making scarves was not something he was too good at, but after several lessons from his mother, Roy had the improved greatly although he still found the process rather lengthy and tedious.

"You will need to be ready to go by six o'clock sharp! Me and Dad will be at your house to pick you up at that time." Riza said, jumping off the fence.

Roy, immersed in his thoughts about scarf-making, failed to notice the end of the fence. Roy waved his arms frantically before finally regaining his balance and also hopping off. _If I give Riza her present tonight, she would be so happy, but that means I need to finish the scarf by six!_

"Riza, I'm going to head home first. I umm…have a lot of homework to finish before tonight."

"But, we weren't assigned anything tonight!" Riza shouted with confusion to Roy as he ran towards his house.

Approaching the house, Roy reached for the door, flung it open, and quickly darted inside and closed the door. He did not have much time to finish the gift. With Riza coming to pick him up earlier than he expected, it meant he really had to work fast.

"Roy, I made you a snack. It's on the kitchen table?" Roy's mother called from the living room.

"Thanks, Mom." Roy rushed into the kitchen and stuffed a fresh pastry into his mouth.

"Why are you in such a rush?"

"I have to finish the scarf." Roy spoke between bites as rushed upstairs to his bedroom.

"Okay, dear. Just be ready to go at six."

"Humph." Riza growled as she came home. _I wanted to play before the festival tonight because we don't have any homework._ "Daddy, Roy was acting all funny today."

"Maybe he isn't feeling well."

"I don't think so. It wasn't even that cold outside."

"He's probably just excited about the festival tonight."

Without replying, Riza sulked down the hallway to the study to grab a book to pass the time. Although she preferred to play with Roy, reading one of her favorite fairy tales would be enough to pass the time alone. Riza grabbed a book off the shelf and flipped to her favorite part. '_The brave Prince of Pasta raced towards the distant tower to rescue the Mushroom Princess from the Meatball Dragon.'_

(~~~)

"Yes, finished with time to spare! I have some time to get ready. Eight minutes before six o'clock!" Roy celebrated silently as he tied a ribbon onto the box and examining his handy work with great satisfaction.

"Roy! I hope you are ready to go. We're about to leave with Riza and Mr. Hawkeye. Hurry up, or I'll send Riza up after you!"

"Okay, Mom! I'll be right down!" Within a few seconds, Roy's celebration was interrupted by several loud knocks.

"Roy! It's almost time to go!" A very annoyed Riza shouted the other side of his door. "You had two hours after you got home to get ready for the festival, so unless you fell asleep, you should be done and ready to go, too!" In a softer voice, Riza added. "It's going to be cold, so wear a warm coat, okay?"

"Sure, I'll be out in a minute!" Roy bounced off his bed for the door. _Agh! I'm still in my school uniform!_

With a few crashes and a minute to spare, Roy rushed out of his room, slipping Riza's present into his coat pocket.

"Hey, what did you put in your pocket just then?"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Whatever you say…" Riza mumbled inaudibly, disheartened by Roy's recent mysterious nature. Without further questioning, she trudged down the stairs behind him where her father and Roy's parents were waiting.

"Wow! Look at all the lanterns!"

Riza ran through the festival, spinning around in attempt to see everything at once.

"Slow down, dear, you'll make yourself dizzy and you won't be able to see all the sights."

"Yeah, wait for me, Riza!"

"Why do you have to be such a slowpoke?" Riza pouted. On a stand before her, there hung many different unlighted animals, waiting to be filled with life. Her attention was soon captivated by a small sparrow-shaped lantern hanging above her. "Wow, this one is so pretty!"

"Since you like it so much, you can have this one for free." The kind, elderly shopkeeper offered as she handed Riza the small bird lantern. "I can only apologize that my lanterns are much too small to hold a flame."

Roy smiled at Riza, who was joyfully gazing into her gift. As they began to browse through more vendor stands and the intricate works presented at each stall, a very large fuzzy muzzle was suddenly shoved into Roy's face.

"Wagh!" Roy yelped, losing his balance from the surprise.

"What an adorable bear." Riza admired from behind.

"Would you like to win this for the young lady, lad?" A rather round peddler asked, laughing that Roy had jumped at the sight of a simple stuffed animal.

"Fine, mister! I'll play your game!" Roy replied, flustered at his humiliation.

"Wonderful! The goal is to knock down those three bottles with this ball. Three dollars gives you three shots."

_Three dollars! I only have five left after I spent most of it on yarn for Riza's scarf._ _I should be able to win this easy so why not. _"Fine with me!" Roy announced confidently, slamming three bills onto the counter.

Roy concentrated, tossing the ball from hand to hand. He stared down his target, a simple, triangular tower of three small, plastic bottles. _I can do this. They're just bottles_. He aimed and pitched the ball with all his strength. He missed.

"Oh! So close!" The peddler chuckled as he retrieved the ball and handed it back to Roy. "Two more tries left."

_I'll show him_. Roy glanced behind him at Riza, who was gazing at the bottles intently. Turning back to his target, he held up his arm and threw the ball again. Once again, he missed.

"Miss again! You've got one more."

Roy was about to throw again when he felt a gentle hand on his arm.

"Roy, let me try." Riza requested, her eyes still fixed on the taunting bottles.

Roy reluctantly handed the ball to her. Riza held it for a little while, feeling its texture. Her eyes never left the target as she raised her arm and swiftly launched it straight towards the bottles. The flying projectile came into perfect contact with the bottles and knocked them to the ground. The peddler was shocked speechless.

"Excuse me, mister. Um, the bear. Can I have it now?"

"Here." The man replied grudgingly.

Riza received the bear after a bit of nudging, and Roy, also shocked, congratulated her numbly. Turning to Roy with a smile, Riza presented the bear to Roy.

"What? But you won."

"You paid for it, so it's yours."

"But, Riza…" Roy spoke trying to hide his slight embarrassment. "I was going to win it to give to you."

"Well. Then, thanks for the gift Roy."

Riza smiled and gave the bear an extra hard squeeze to show her appreciation. Although things did not go exactly as planned, Roy grinned sheepishly in return, glad to see that Riza was happy with the gift she had won for herself.


	3. Chapter 3: A Promise

Chapter 3: A Promise

* * *

The night proceeded joyfully with Roy and Riza wandering from vendor to vendor in fascination. Riza's father and Roy's parents followed slowly behind, glad to see the two's happy faces. Not only were there hundreds and hundreds of lanterns decorating the stalls, there was also a vast variety of food stalls. Roy's eyes snapped from side to side. His mouth watered. Because he had spent all his time after school making Riza's present, he had nothing to eat except for the light snack he had when he got home.

"That's right!" Mrs. Mustang suddenly spoke aloud. "Roy, you haven't had dinner yet after being all busy."

"Mom…" Roy tugged at his mother's coat, hoping she would not accidentally give his secret scarf-making efforts away.

"Oh, right." Mrs. Mustang gave Roy a sly wink that only he could see. "Let's go get you something to eat. Riza, you come along and have something to eat, too. Robert. Nathaniel. Would you two like anything?"

"Lily…" Nathaniel Hawkeye smiled shook his head. "You don't have to always be so entreating. Can't you let me pay this one time?"

"Not unless I have something to say about it." Lily smiled kindly as she took the two children's hands, one in each of hers. "So what will it be, mister?"

"I'll take a husk of corn on a stick, lightly buttered with a bit of pepper and a smidgen of salt." Nathaniel Hawkeye replied with a mischievous grin. "Please."

"You'll get corn on a stick with whatever I feel like putting on it." As the two children fell into laughter, Lily turned to her husband. "For you, dear?"

"Nothing. Thank you." Mr. Mustang replied distractedly as he anxiously watched a skilled artisan at work. "Nathaniel, come over here and take a look at this."

"Alright, suit yourself." Lily led the two children away as Nathaniel went to join Robert.

(~~~)

As Lily brought the two children back, Roy was munching happily on a kabob with several more sticks held in reserve in his other hand. Riza nibbled away at her corn on a stick. Nathaniel Hawkeye and Robert Mustang had stayed behind to watch the crafting of a large dragon lantern. They quickly called everyone else to come over and watch just as the skillful craftsman carefully placed a lit candle within the lantern, bringing the dragon to life.

During the lighting, Roy eyed Riza's unlit sparrow lantern thoughtfully. _She would be so happy if we could find a way to light it up. But how?_ Suddenly, a lonely firefly floated before his eyes. _That's it! Those would be perfect and I know just the place!_

"Riza, want to get a light for you lantern?" Roy asked, almost bouncing with excitement, as he finished his last kabob in a hurry.

"Roy, stop jumping or you'll poke your eye out." Lily warned sternly as she took the sticks from her son.

"But the lady said it can't hold one."

"I know where we can get a light for your lantern. Follow me!"

"Can I, Dad?" Riza looked up at her father with pleading eyes.

"Go on ahead. Robert, Lily, and I are going to have a look around by ourselves. We'll come find you two once we're done."

"Looks like your son has something special planned out." Watching Roy lead Riza in the direction of the meadows, Nathaniel Hawkeye chuckled. _Clever boy._ "Well, Robert. Lily. Shall we?"

"He definitely does. We're ready to go…once you take your –ahem– corn on a stick, lightly buttered with a bit of pepper and a smidgen of salt. Then, we'll be ready." Lily handed Nathaniel the complicated order, and the three walked off to continue browsing the Lantern Festival.

Roy led his friend through a maze of stalls and people. _Now,_ _I can help her find a light for the lantern and give her the scarf at the same time! _Roy halted dead in his tracks as a sudden realization hit him. He had no idea know where he was. He must have taken a wrong turn somewhere or passed too many stalls.

"Lost?"

"Never!"

"If you are looking for the meadow, it's this way." Riza grinned, taking Roy's hand and pulling him forward.

"How did you figure out where I'm going?"

"I just know, Roy. But why are we going there?"

"You'll see…" Roy replied mysteriously.

With Riza's better-than-Roy's sense of direction, the two friends soon arrived at the meadow where they often spent their free time playing. A vast multitude of fireflies danced in the night across the meadow. The autumn lilies had recently flowered, and the meadow was speckled with their beauty. After a brief silence, Roy suddenly remembered why he had wanted to bring Riza to the meadow.

"Now we can get some fireflies for your lantern!"

"So that was your plan?" Riza could not help but be impressed.

"Yup!" Roy smirked as he ran into the meadow chasing after a firefly that had flown by him.

After catching several and gently placing them within Riza's lantern, the two friends watched in awe as the lantern gave off a gentle. As Riza gazed into the lantern, Roy began reaching for the scarf that was tucked neatly in his coat pocket. Roy was confident. Now was the time to present Riza her birthday gift. He had perfected the lines to go with his present the night before. _I can do this! It's just going to be like practice._ He took a deep breath and summed up all his courage.

"Riza, I have somethi–"

"Hmm?" Riza mused as her happy eyes met his, causing him to forget everything he practiced the night before.

"I…umm…I h-have..." Roy stuttered before abruptly blurting out. "I have something to give you! Happy birthday!"

Jerking the scarf out of his pocket, Roy quickly shoved it in her direction. Roy planted his eyes at the ground, refusing to look up, too afraid to see her response. _Will she like it? What if she doesn't? Although I tried my best, I still don't think I did a great job. She's not going to like it. I just know it…_

"For me?" Riza asked meekly as she takes the wrapped gift, her lantern hanging from her finger. Riza held out her small lantern to Roy. "Can you hold this for me?" Riza carefully opened the gift, and realizing what it is, she abruptly wrapped it around her neck. "Thank you, Roy! I really like it!"

"R-really?"

"Of course!"

"You really mean it?" Roy questioned with relief finally settling in.

"Yes, silly! Thank you!" Riza replied, suddenly jumping forward and hugging Roy tightly. Roy's face immediately turned several shades redder.

"Uhh. R-riza." Roy gasped. "Too t-tight. C-can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry!" Riza let go in a hurry.

"Roy…?"

"Y-yes…?" Roy tried to catch his breath yet still blushing slightly.

"Umm…have you ever thought about the future?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

With Riza's arms still around his neck, "Do you think that we will always be the bestest of friends even when we grow up?"

"Well, of course we'll still be friends."

Roy tried to shrug off the question. He did not enjoy thinking too much about the future. He had enough trouble dealing with everyday events that the future just seemed way too big of a thing to consider.

"Will you promise me…" Riza paused."…that we will always be friends?"

"Umm. Sure."

"Pinky promise?"

"Okay."

Riza innocently searched Roy's eyes for integrity. After a moment, she held out her pinky. With the red in his face ebbing, Roy looked back into Riza's eyes as he locked his pinky with hers. With their pinkies still linked, they brought their thumbs together to touch, sealing the pact. Both children smiled.

"Riza!" Nathaniel Hawkeye called from down the road. "It's time to go home!"

"Roy, you too!" Roy's parents shouted.

With Riza's scarf fluttering in the wind, the two friends ran to join their parents.


	4. Chapter 4: Snow Day

Chapter 4: Snow Day

* * *

Riza, now nine years old and fully dressed for the weather, violently shook a drowsy Roy in futile attempts to wake him from his slumber. It was the first snow of the year, and Riza would not dare let her friend sleep through it, much less stay inside.

"Roy! Come on! There's snow outside! The sooner you wake up and get dressed, the sooner we can play!"

"Bwah...but I don't want to. I'm sleepy. Leave me alone. I'm sleepy" Roy whined, slurring his words and covering his head with his pillow.

"Get up, lazy!" Riza yanked off the warm blankets.

"It's cold, Riza!" Roy scrunched up into a ball. "Give my blanket back. I'm going to die of hippo-thermia."

"What's that?" Riza gave him a puzzled look.

"I'm not really sure. I think it has something to do with being really cold."

"Oh okay." Riza said as she headed for the solitary window in Roy's room. She gave Roy a playful grin before pretending to open the window.

"Riza!" Roy screamed in panic as he suddenly leaped from his bed to chase Riza around the room in his pajamas.

"Get dressed!" Riza laughed, grabbing Roy's winter coat from a hanger and aiming it at his face. "I'll be waiting outside for you to get ready. If you aren't downstairs in three minutes, I'll come back up with snowballs!"

"What!" Roy shouted after Riza as flew out his bedroom. "Three minutes? There's no way!"

Taking Riza's threat to heart, Roy hurriedly changed into the proper clothes. After finally zipping up his coat and making sure his warm gloves fit snugly, Roy scrambled down the stairs. He was surprised that his parents were nowhere in sight, but he had bigger worries than that right now. A challenge awaited him, and he was not about to back down. He flung the door open and jumped out the doorway, ready to face Riza in a snowball fight, but was promptly greeted with a snowball.

"Ah!" Roy spluttered, spitting slushy ice from his mouth. "Who did that?"

Roy stared dumbly at the white expanse before him. Not a single person was in sight. However, he soon noticed an unusually large mound of snow that resembled a fort. Poking out above were the tops of two people's heads. Roy silently bent down to shape a snowball in his gloves and began to advance slowly towards the mound of snow.

"Attack!" A voice shouted from behind the snow fort.

Roy expertly dodged the first thrown at him and then the second as he ran to the side trying to get behind the fort and catch its occupants off guard.

"I have you now!" Roy shouted triumphantly.

He had swung around the back, ready to give his assailants a taste of their own medicine. He felt confident that his maneuver would catch the fort's occupants off guard completely. However, what faced him inside the small fort was something he had had planned for. Roy's heart sank. The snowball he had readied fell from his hand to the ground. His eyes widened in horror. He was defenseless completely and utterly defenseless against the terrifying creature before him.

"Tatsu, now!"

"Woof!" The large husky bounded forward, tail wagging happily.

"Nooooo!" Roy Mustang swung around, arms flailing wildly.

The large husky easily overtook Roy and pounced. Roy found himself fending his face from the volley of licks as he was tackled to the ground. Roy could hear Riza's light laughter coming from the fort.

"Ah, you oversized ball of fur!"

"Alright, Tatsu. That's enough."

Berthold Hawkeye called the husky back into the miniature snow fort. Having been saved, Roy gladly rose to his feet. Now that the main threat was eliminated, he could focus on his target. However, he was outnumbered and outgunned. Eying the mound of snowballs beside Riza, Roy knew his situation was quite dire indeed. Without support or backup he would crumble under a firing squad of snowballs from Mr. Hawkeye and his daughter.

"Roy, I've come to help!"

Roy looked to see where the familiar voice of his father had come from. Emerging from the front door of his house in full snow gear, Robert Mustang leaped from the front door and started sprinting towards the snow fort, scooping up a handful of snow in the process. Roy cheered triumphantly as he ran to meet his father, dodging a couple of snowballs in the process.

"Alright, Roy. Let's fight back these invaders!"

"Yeah!"

Roy shouted excitedly as he ran with his father towards the snow fort. The tide had turned. He had backup. Victory was in his grasps. Roy quickly ducked as a snowball came flying towards him, clipping the top of his head. Riza and her father had emerged from their snow fort to face them. This was no longer a playful skirmish. This was a battle.

"Attack!" Riza's voice rang happily in the winter air as she, her father, and Tatsu left the snow fort to face the Mustang duo.

"I give up, Riza!" Roy feigned while walking slowly towards her as he secretly shaped a snowball behind his back.

"But we've only started." Riza replied, slightly bewildered.

"No way! You're mine now!" Roy cried triumphantly, preparing to launch his surprise attack.

His snowball fell harmlessly to the ground as Riza called his bluff and hit him square in the face with her own snowball. Roy crumpled under the excellently placed shot.

"Roy, don't be silly. There is no way you would give up that easily." Riza ran farther away from him and started preparing more ammunition to hurl. "I'll give you five seconds to get back on your feet before I attack."

"Fine. Bring it on!"

The Battle of Roy's Front Yard lasted for another thirty minutes or so before both sides, exhausted by the snow fight, grudgingly called a temporary truce. With neither side being able to claim victory and bragging rights, everyone unanimously decided to make snow angels. Roy and Riza fell on their backs beside each other onto the fluffy white snow. Roy noticed happily that Riza was wearing the scarf he had given her around her neck.

"Hey look, Riza! It's starting to snow again."

While making their snow angels, the two friends stuck out their tongues to catch snowflakes, and both could easily taste the joy lightly descending upon them.

"Okay, all you snow fighters." Roy's mother called from inside the house. "How about taking a break for some hot chocolate?"

Roy propelled himself from the ground as if the mention of hot chocolate gave him newfound energy. He grabbed Riza's hand and pulled her from the ground with surprising strength and quickly led her towards the house. Robert and Berthold followed suit and followed the two children inside. The Battle of Roy's Front Yard will have to wait until everyone had their fill of Mrs. Mustang's delicious hot chocolate.


	5. Chapter 5: Smile

Chapter 5: Smile

* * *

The unusual sweltering heat of the late April Saturday could not dampen Riza's excitement. Eleven years old and bursting with energy, Riza had waited a long year for this special day to come along again. Today was the start of their small town's Summer Festival. However, the only part Riza was truly interested in was the field sporting events that was held for the kids of the town. The event bragged footraces of all sorts and contests of all manners.

Being overexcited, Riza had wanted to sign up for every single event as she had wanted to do in all the previous years. This often meant Roy was forced or coerced into participating in the same events. However, being lazy and unmotivated, Roy had convinced Riza to only sign up for handful of events as he had managed to do all the previous years.

Riza leaped onto the mattress and successfully bounced its sleeping contents onto the floor. With a loud crash and much complaining, Roy awoke from his slumber.

"Roy! Today's the day! Get up!"

"Do you have to do that every time you want me to wake up?" Roy grumbled as he emerged from under his blanket.

"Well, you usually don't wake up if I just call your name. However, bouncing you out of your bed seems to work all the time."

"I really just want to go back to bed." Roy muttered as he prepared to flop back onto his bed.

"No, you are not allowed. You have to be excited! We're going to win this year for sure!" Riza yanked the blanket away from her sleepy friend. "Don't forget. We're signed up for the relay race and the three-legged dash!"

"Don't remind me." Roy sighed as he reluctantly trudged towards his closet to change into more fitting attire for the day's events.

"Dad's also decided to come out, too. He's been really busy the last month with some sort of alchemy research thing, but he'll be out today! He says he's doing the archery contest again this year!"

Riza's amber eyes lit up with joy at the mention of her father attending the day's festivities. It was true though. Within the past few months, Berthold Hawkeye had feverously devoted himself to his research, saying he was on the verge of a breakthrough. Roy had felt sorry for Riza because that often meant she had nobody to pay her company at her house.

"That's good to hear."

Although he did not show it in his response, Roy was secretly glad Riza's father was emerging from his several months of seclusion.

"I'll be waiting for you outside. Your parents are putting together a picnic basket for all of us downstairs. See you in a bit."

And with that, Riza disappeared from the room in a hurry just as Roy began to change clothes. _A picnic basket meant yummy food. Now that is something to be excited about._ Roy had a feeling Riza had mentioned that on purpose to get him excited about today. He had to admit, her strategy definitely worked as he found himself looking forward to the day, or maybe it was her bursting excitement that was rubbing off on him. Roy shrugged. It did not matter much to him as long as a picnic basket was involved in the mix somehow.

"Roy, you should be thankful Riza makes sure you stick to your schedule." Roy's mother whispered to him as they left the house to join the Riza and her father for the festivities.

"Yeah, Mom. I know…"

Roy hated to admit it, but it was true.

"The first event of the day will be the obstacle course. All participants please line up in an orderly fashion at the north end of the field. The schedule of today's activities and their participants can be found…" Over the loudspeakers, the town's mayor made the announcements.

"Come on! That's the call for the obstacle race!"

Ignoring the monotonous announcements that followed, Riza grabbed Roy's arm and yanked him from the ground. Roy sullenly allowed himself to be dragged away from the sandwich he has just started to munch on. After a quick wave to their parents, Riza dragged her despairing friend towards a growing crowd of participants. After waiting impatiently for the final checks and adjustments, Riza concentrated, scrutinizing the course before her, and lined next to her fellow participants at the starting line.

Seeing his competitors, Roy gave a slight sigh of relief. He was at least grateful that everyone was in the general age group. The previous year, an older boy had managed to beat everyone easily. Although Roy was not planning on winning much less placing, he did not enjoy the fact of being beaten unfairly.

When all the preparations were complete, the referee gave the signal. With a shrill whistle, the race commenced. With her excellent reflexes coupled with speed and flexibility, Riza easily ducked, leaped, crawled, and swerved through the course. Nothing proved too difficult as she managed to keep ahead of the majority of her competitors. Roy, on the other hand, found himself struggling through till the very end. He felt his face grow red and flustered as he accidentally knocked over several cones as well as snagging his foot on a net of rope.

By the end of the race, Riza found herself neck to neck with three other boys her age. The finish line was fast approaching, and it was time to make the final push to the end. Riza threw in the last of her energy and crossed the finish line in third place.

Breathing heavily and with time to spare for coming in third, Riza went back to the finish line to cheer on her friend who had yet to finish the race. Roy was not in last, but if he did not pick up his pace, the others behind would soon overtake him.

"Roy!" Riza shouted between deep breaths of air. "Pretend Tatsu is chasing you!"

"You can do it, Roy!" Lily and Robert Mustang joined in on the cheering from the sideline.

Roy was getting tired. He heard the distant shouts of encouragement echoing in his ears as his legs began to feel like jelly. _There is no way I'll be able to finish. I can't do it. I'm going to collapse. The finish line is so far away…._

From the finish line, Riza saw that Roy had begun to slow down, the competitors behind him gaining ground. There was no way she would let him finish in last place. She had to do something and quick.

"Roy!" Riza came up with a brilliant plan. "You can rest and enjoy something to eat afterwards! Something nice from the picnic basket is waiting for you! Now finish the race!"

Roy heard Riza's words clearly. _Picnic basket?_ It took a second for the Riza's words to hit home. _Picnic basket! Rawwwwwrrr!_ Roy's eyes blazed with flaming determination as his speed suddenly doubled.

Riza watched in amazement as Roy not only increased the distance between him and those behind him, but he even managed to pass two others in front of him. As Roy stormed across the finish line, he ran straight into a chokingly tight hug from Riza.

"Good job, Roy! See. That wasn't too bad."

"R-riza. Too tight. N-not breathing." Roy gasped.

"Oh, sorry." Riza giggled as she let go of her breathless friend.

Roy collapsed in a heap on the ground and laid there on his back. His parents soon ran up congratulating him for his performance.

"Alright. Now, take me to my reward."

Roy grinned as he lay on the ground. With the help of his parents, Riza had slung an arm around Roy to support him as they took Roy to his reward.

"Okay, Roy. Rest up. You'll need it since our next event is the three-legged race." Riza announced as Roy sipped graciously on a cool bottle of lemonade. "It's your last event, right? I don't understand why you only signed up for two events, but you better give your last one everything you've got."

"Don't worry. I will." Roy replied, distracted by his sweet beverage.

"Good. You rest, while I help Dad get ready for the archery contest."

Roy watched with a smile as Riza ran off to join Berthold Hawkeye, who was stringing a rather elaborate looking bow. He recognized the bow as the one that adorned a special corner in the Hawkeye private library. It was a magnificent Xingese bow that Riza's father had acquired during his travels in Xing. Roy was glad that Riza was smiling and happy. Ever since her father had become so busy with his alchemy research, Roy had noticed that she had become more reserved and smiled less. Roy knew he probably could never admit it to her, but just seeing her smile was enough to brighten even the worst of days.

"And our winner for the bean bag shot put is…" The speakers continued to announce the second and third place winners.

Roy looked around to find people applauding for a burly but short sixth grader, and just as he expected, Riza had come racing back to find him.

"It's time for the three-legged race now!" Riza eagerly pulled Roy off the blanket. Roy sighed and hoped he regained enough energy to keep up with her in the three-legged race.

With the final knot tied, the two friends walked towards the last event of the field day. As soon as the start signal was given, Roy felt himself lurch forward as Riza with her arm around his shoulders exploded from the starting line. Roy tried his best to synchronize with Riza's breathtaking pace. However, at some points, Roy definitely felt as if she was partially carrying him, or else he would have not been able to keep up.

Roy and Riza soared past the other competitors and won first well ahead of anyone else. In her excitement, Riza forgot about the knot around their legs and leaped for joy, causing both to tumble to the ground. Roy found himself flat on his back and looked up to find Riza practically laying on him, her face hovering right above his. They looked at each other for a moment in surprise. Realization finally dawning on them, Roy and Riza both blushed and struggled to get up as their parents ran up congratulating them and helping untie the knot.

(~~~)

After the long awards ceremony, everyone except Roy's mother, who was already at home, headed for the Mustang's house to celebrate the end of the day's festivities. Lily Mustang had left early to prepare for the occasion. Riza was skipping happily in front of Roy, his father, and her own father. She had participated in several other footraces after the three-legged race, which was evident from several clinking medals hanging around her neck.

"Looks like you beat me again in the medal count." Roy joked, knowing that such an event would never happen in his lifetime. "But still, congratulations."

"Thanks, Roy." Riza laughed happily as she gave Roy a brilliant smile.

Roy could not help but smile back.


	6. Chapter 6: Helpless

Chapter 6: Helpless

* * *

The voices of many students crowding into the gymnasium echoed off the walls. The annual class elections had arrived. Roy, seventeen years old, sat with several other students who were also running for class president. Even though it was his first time running, he felt somewhat confident with his chances.

Actually, Roy had never been good at preparing speeches, but after much begging, he had finally managed to pry Riza from one of her novels. With her help, the two composed a speech the night before. Roy could swear that parts of it must have come from excerpts Riza had liked in the novels she read. Actually, he knew one part in particular had come from a scene in _The Prince of the Land of Pasta_, where the Prince of Pasta was announcing the changes he would make to his kingdom for the betterment of the people near the end of the novel. Though, he could not complain all that much, for after all, she was helping him out with something he knew he could not accomplish alone

While reviewing the speech in his head, he hardly felt the gentle touch on his shoulder.

"Good luck, Roy." Riza whispered into his ear and gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze before she joined the rest of the student body in the bleachers.

After the other candidates each made their speeches, Roy stepped up to the podium. He felt his heart race nervously as he adjusted the microphone.

"Good aftern–"

Roy was abruptly interrupted as the dean of their school scrambled onto the stage. Roy quickly moved aside to make way for the flustered man. "Everyone, please remain calm as this announcement is made, and do not leave before I finish speaking. I am sure everyone is aware of the recent Amestrian-Dracman skirmishes that have been occurring in the Northeast and not far from our small town."

The mention of Drachma lead to many hushed murmurs across the auditorium. Drachma was a large aggressive nation to the north of Amestris and was notorious for its military's might and strength. Battles and skirmishes had always occurred along the northern border, but the recent ones had begun to creep closer to some Amestrian towns in the northeast, including theirs. Rumors about Drachman raiding parties attacking towns had also spread around the region.

The dean waited briefly for the noise to die down before continuing.

"Drachman scouts have been spotted on the outskirts of town. Classes are cancelled for the rest of today. The mayor of the town has requested that everyone return to their homes immediately. Everyone needs to head straight home. Once you arrive, pack some necessities and head straight for the safe houses around town with your family. Meanwhile, the local militia is being assembled just in case, and a military outpost nearby has been alerted and will be sending help. Everyone is now dismissed."

As the dean finished his final words, panic broke out among the students as they began to flood down the bleachers. Roy looked desperately for Riza among the crowds of students rushing down. Although she was not the type to panic, she could easily be trampled by the frenzy of students. Suddenly, Roy caught sight of her long blonde hair and her favorite faded green sweater briefly before she disappeared beneath the crowd.

_Riza!_ Roy rushed towards the bleachers, shoving through the tide of students scrambling down. _There she is!_ As Roy reached her trampled form, Riza was lying motionless on the ground with her arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Riza! Riza, are you okay? Are you injured?" Roy shouted anxiously as he lightly shook her trampled, dusty figure.

After several coughs, Riza nodded her head slightly as Roy helped her onto her feet. "Yes, I'm okay. Just some scratches and bruises, but I'm fine."

Roy sighed in relief that she had no suffered any serious injuries. "How did you manage to be the only one to get hurt?" He asked incredulously.

"When everyone panicked, my book got knocked out of my hands, but I managed to jump on it in time and protect it." Riza spoke proudly as she presented the undamaged copy of _The Prince of the Land of Pasta_ for Roy to see. "I brought it with me as a good luck charm for your speech. I'm sorry you didn't get to give it."

"Are you crazy, thinking about that at a time like this? You could have gotten really hurt!" Roy grabbed Riza's hand and led her down the bleachers in a hurry. "Okay, never mind that for now. You heard the dean. We need to get home now!"

"But the book is unhurt…" Riza muttered, disappointed at Roy's lack of excitement in her accomplishment.

Roy sighed in exasperation. Riza had always shared a stronger attachment to books than he did although he had to admit that he probably would have done the same for that book in particular. "This way! I know a shortcut!"

He pulled Riza through the crowd and towards a less conspicuous door. Soon, the pair was running down the stone road towards their homes. As they ran, Roy felt dread creeping up his back. The dean's words about the militia being assembled just hit him, which meant his father would be taking up arms in defense of the town.

Riza noticed the worry on Roy's face as they ran. Although she had already reasoned out why, she asked anyways. "You alright?"

"Um, yeah. It's n-nothing." Roy forced a smile. "We'll stop by your house first, okay? I want to make sure you get home safely."

"You really don't have to." Riza protested softly.

"Roy!" Riza stopped abruptly, and the color drained from her face as she pointed towards a trail of black smoke rising in the direction of Roy's home. "Isn't tha–"

Before Riza could say or do anything else, Roy had sprinted ahead towards his house, jumping the stone fence and running through the fields. Riza tried to keep up but soon fell behind.

"Roy!" Riza yelled as loudly as she could handle through her gasps. "Wait up!"

She jumped the final fence that would have brought her to Roy's front yard. Riza gasped and stopped short in her tracks as Roy's home came into full view. The entire house was engulfed in flames. Roy stood silently in front of his burning house.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you?" Roy shouted as loud as he could before darting towards the front door. He leapt onto the porch and suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

"Roy! What are you doing? It's dangerous!" Riza ran up behind him and reached out to pull him off the front porch but froze in horror.

The pair stood before the bullet-riddled body of Roy's father. Not far from the slumped figure laid one of the rifles assigned to the town militia along with several spent casings. Riza was frozen in disbelief, completely unaware of the fire consuming the house around them, and watched as Roy's face grew cold and distant.

Roy suddenly ran for the front door. Riza tried to shout for him to stop, but her voice choked with tears. _Roy, no!_ Before she could go in after him, Roy had emerged from the front door, carrying his mother's limp body. Tears streaming down her face, Riza tried to speak. Roy hushed her with a cold stare as he carefully placed his mother's body on the front yard's grass before doing the same with his father's. Riza watched helpless during the whole grim process.

It was Roy's touch that finally brought her back to senses, as he yanked her from the burning porch and dragged her to where he had laid his parents. After bringing her to safety, Roy again ran back to the porch and came back with the militia rifle in his hands.

"Riza." Roy spoke softly and calmly, but his voice was filled with cold menace. "Go home, now. I have something I need to take care of."

Riza felt icy chills run down her back as she heard those last words. Although the deaths of Roy's parents had yet to fully sink in, the thought of losing anyone else close to her was unbearable. _Oh please, don't go and try and get revenge. Please…_

"Roy! Don't!" Face covered with tears, Riza had begun to chase after him frantically. "You'll be killed! Please! Don't go!"

"Riza, go home. Now. I'm not going to say it again. Just go." Roy shouted loudly, losing control of his temper.

Riza cringed as the violent words reached her ears. She watched helpless as Roy ran off with his father's rifle, leaving her alone. _No, I can't lose you, too. I'm not strong enough to do anything. I need to get help for Roy._ She turned and started running for her house. _Dad's a master alchemist. If I ask him to help, surely he will be able to do something._

With tears shrouding her vision, Riza ran as hard and fast as she could towards her house, which was no more than a mile away. Knowing that at any moment, Roy could be killed. When she finally reached her house, Riza burst through the front door and headed straight for her father's study.

"Dad! Mr. and Mrs. Mustang. They are–" Riza gasped for breath as she choked out the few words she could through the tears. "Roy's going to…You need to. Help now!"

"Riza, say it again but slowly this time." Berthold Hawkeye spoke as he rose from his chair with concern.

"A Drachman raiding party is attacking the town. Mr. and Mrs. Mustang are…d-dead…" Riza sobbed as she tried to finish. "R-roy's gone chasing after them with a gun. He's going to be killed if you don't do anything! The rest of the town is also in danger! Please, Dad. Do something!"

"Lily…Robert." Riza's father spoke softly with remorse as he slumped back into his chair. "Riza, I'm terribly sorry, but there is nothing I can do."

"Nothing you can do! But you are such a great alchemist! You could save Roy and many others! Why are you just sitting there, doing nothing?"

"Riza, you don't understand. Alchemy is for the good of the people. When I took up alchemy, I swore to never use it as a weapon, no matter the situation."

"But, everyone in town is in danger! Why won't you use alchemy to protect them?"

"I'm sorry, Riza…" Riza's father remained motionless with his sad eyes fixed at something outside the window. The sight drove Riza further into hysterics.

"Well, fine! If you won't do anything, I'll just go help the town and Roy by myself!"

In desperation and anger, Riza stormed out of the house, slamming the door forcefully behind her. Her words had sounded brave when she had shouted them, but now as she ran towards the center of town where more black smoke was rising, Riza did not know what she could do to help. _Why am I so helpless all the time? Roy is always protecting me, but what can I do? It doesn't matter. I am going to at least try. I am not going to sit around doing nothing anymore!_

As Riza ran down the stone path, Berthold Hawkeye opened the front door to see his daughter disappear into the distance. With a sad sigh, he stepped back inside and closed the door.

* * *

Note: Sorry to end the chapter on such a depressing note. In all honesty, writing this chapter made me very sad, but my excuse is that childhood innocence cannot last forever. I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Sorry again, if I am causing any grief towards you.


	7. Chapter 7: Seeing Red

Chapter 7: Seeing Red

* * *

_Where are you? Where did you all go, you bloodthirsty bastards! Once I find you, I'm going to kill every single one of you! I'm going to send each and every one of you to hell if it's the last thing I do!_

Gritting his teeth in anger, Roy furiously scanned the street from a shadowed alleyway. He had seen black smoke billowing from several buildings near the center of town and assumed that was where he would find his parents' murderers. The streets were abandoned and empty except for the smoke that hung like heavy clouds throughout town. With the threat of a Drachman raiding party in the area, everyone had holed themselves up in the safehouses scattered throughout town.

Windows were smashed and doors were splintered. The Drachman raiding party had spared no household or store from devastation. He gripped his father's rifle in his hands so tightly that his knuckles had gone white. Roy could not think. He was filled with hatred, filled with lust for blood. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from down the smoke-filled street. He peered around the corner of the alley to see three Drachman soldiers.

This was his chance for revenge. This was his opportunity to kill those who had killed his parents. He did not really care if he was going to die. If that were to happen, he would kill as many as he could before that time. All that filled his head was pure hatred.

Roy leaped into the street from his hiding place. Crouching and aiming his father's rifle at the foremost soldier, he aimed carefully for the man's chest. This was it. He would avenge his parents' deaths starting with this soldier. He could see it all happening. The soft thud of lead piercing human flesh and the crimson blood pouring from the hole in the soldier's chest. The slow fall of the man as his knees gave out and he crumbled to the ground. He allowed the slight sensation of glee take over his body at that moment.

_Oh, how sweet is revenge._ Roy smiled. _Die._

Roy pulled the trigger.

No gunshot.

Only the empty click of a rifle.

The soldiers saw the young teenage boy jump from the alley and pointing the barrel of a rifle down on them. They had backed up several steps in surprise. However, as Roy continued to squeeze the trigger of his father's rifle, the soldiers snickered and laughed to themselves at the spectacle.

"So you are a soldier, right?" The foremost Drachman scoffed as he approached Roy, who was still desperately squeezing the trigger over and over again as the soldier approached. "It looks like they never taught you how to load a gun. Did they, little soldier."

An expression of horror creeped onto Roy's face as the rebel slowly approached. In his rage for vengeance, he had not even thought about checking to see if the gun was loaded. _No, no, no! This isn't how it's supposed to happen! Those bastards are supposed to die!_ Enraged, Roy ran forward, ready to swing at his enemies with the empty rifle.

The Drachman soldier deftly dodged the half hazard swing and then struck back with the butt of his own rifle. Roy found himself on the ground in a daze and seeing stars. The three soldiers had surrounded him and began to beat him with their own rifles and to kick him as he lay helpless on the ground. Soon, Roy lay in a broken heap on the ground with blood clouding his vision and pain ripping through his body.

A Drachman soldier pulled out a pistol. "Well, little soldier. I'll be so kind as to put you out of your misery. Any last words?"

"Go to hell." Roy managed to mutter from the ground.

"Defiant till the end?" The man snickered as he pulled the hammer back on his pistol. "And I thought Amestris was filed with cowards. Goodbye, little soldier."

As a mixture of anger and fear swept through his body, Roy shut his eyes tightly.

"Nooooo!"

Roy's eyes snapped open just in time to see Riza appear, half crying, half screaming, and brandishing a kitchen knife as she rushed towards the Drachman with the pistol. Her sudden appearance caught the soldiers completely off guard as they all turned in surprise to see the young teenage girl running towards them.

_Riza? No! What are you doing here! You're going to be killed!_ Roy tried to get off the ground. He had to do something. He did mean to drag Riza into this mess, and at this rate they would both be killed. As Roy tried to push himself off the ground, a crash of pain shook through his body as one of the Drachman soldiers knocked him back to the pavement. Roy watched frantically as the soldier with the pistol merely laughed as he deftly dodged the knife and shoved Riza to the ground. She tried to get up but was kicked back to the ground.

"Riza!" Reaching an arm desperately out to her, Roy finally managed to struggle to his feet but was restrained by one of the Drachman soldiers before he could reach her.

"Oh? So you know her? Is she your girlfriend, little soldier? I have an idea." The soldier with the pistol pointed the gun at Riza. "How about she goes first? I'll kill her before I kill you, so you can watch your precious little girlfriend die."

"No! Leave her out of this! I swear if you lay a single finger on her, I'll kill every single last one of you!"

Roy yelled and struggled futilely as the Drachman soldiers laughed at his idle threats. The soldier walked up to the crumpled form of Riza and pinned her head to the pavement with his boot. As the soldier prepared to pull the trigger, his eyes met hers.

"No! Don't! Let her go!"

"I'm sorry, Roy." With a forced smile, Riza whispered softly as tears began to stream from her hazel eyes. "I couldn't be of any help after all."

* * *

Note: Alright, so I really enjoyed writing this chapter. However, I do feel like I need to apologize to everyone for a rather large switch in overall story mood. But as I've stated before, innocence cannot last forever. I hope I did not make anyone too angry with how I ended the chapter. Thanks to everyone for reading my story and your continued support. I greatly appreciate all of it. I would especially like to give a shout out to BlackBrightField2007, Red Walrus, Monk'ichii, and CherryLine101 for their reviews. Thanks for the support everyone!


	8. Chapter 8: Tearful Embrace

Chapter 8: Tearful Embrace

* * *

"No!" Roy struggled furiously against the Drachman restraining him. "Riza!"

Listening to Roy's panicked cries, the Drachman with the pistol laughed as his finger began to curl around the trigger. Suddenly, from the corner of Roy's eyes, a blaze of fire appeared from the smoke-engulfed street. A stream of fire collided with the Drachman soldier, engulfing him in fire and knocking him back several feet. The man was dead, burned to an unrecognizable heap, before he even hit the pavement.

A dreadful silence ensued after the rebel restraining Roy dropped him to the ground with a thud. The remaining two soldiers lifted their rifles in panic as they cast hasty glances around the hazy street.

"Who the hell is out there?" One of the soldiers shouted with fear. "Show yourself!"

As the words left his mouth, he was also consumed by a stream of fire, which seemed to appear from the haze and smoke of the street. The third rebel began to fire panicked shots into the street, completely emptying his automatic weapon into the empty street. As his weapon clicked empty, he attempted to flee but was also hit with a stream of fire as he crumpled to the ground.

Roy and Riza remained silent on the ground in shock at what just happened. Who was their mysterious rescuer? As the steady sound of boots on pavement grew louder, the smoke gave way and standing before them was Riza's father, Berthold Hawkeye, the master alchemist himself.

His raised arm fell to his side, a small glint shining with the movement. In his hand was a metallic lighter with alchemical symbols etched all over its side. His thumb was resting lightly on the lighter's striker. Keeping his eyes lowered, he approached Roy and quickly sketched more strange symbols on the ground beside him, and with a spectacular flash of blue light, Riza was amazed to see the majority of Roy's physical injuries, including cuts and bruises, disappear completely.

Seeing his wounds disappear, Roy tried to get up from the ground, but was held down by a firm hand and cold stare from the alchemist. Berthold Hawkeye moved to his daughter next, and ignoring his daughter's soft protests that she was fine, he performed the same procedure on her minor scratches and bruises.

"I've only done simple healing for surface injuries like bruises, cuts, and bleeding. I don't have the skill to mend bone fractures or torn tendons. You two hide in the shadows of this alley and wait for the military to arrive. They should be here shortly. Roy, make sure you take care of my daughter until then." Berthold Hawkeye spoke solemnly as picked up one of the dead Drachman's rifles and placed it next to Roy. "Only use this if you absolutely need to. I have some unfinished business to take care of."

"Mr. Hawkeye. I'm coming with you!" Using the rifle beside him as makeshift crutch, Roy struggled to his feet. "I will help you kill those Drachman bastards!"

"No. Stay here and hide with Riza until help arrives." Berthold Hawkeye turned his back to them and began to leave.

"Do you really expect me to just sit around while there are still Drachman soldiers prowling around!" Roy roared furiously, taking several painful steps forward. "Because of them, my parents are gone!"

"Roy!" Berthold Hawkeye shouted angrily before calming down. "My daughter nearly lost her life protecting you. I am sorry about what happened to your parents. I truly am, but right now, you need to stay here and with Riza until the military arrives. You owe her your life. Protect her now as she just did for you."

With that sudden realization hitting him, Roy let the rifle in his hands fall to his side. Roy limped to where Riza was and helped pick her off the ground despite the pain from injuries beneath the surface of his skin.

"Dad…" Riza spoke nervously. "Thank you."

Berthold Hawkeye nodded slightly and disappeared into the smoke towards where sounds of gunfire could be heard. Still using the rifle to support himself, Roy watched as the alchemist disappeared from view, his teeth and free hand clenched tightly.

"Roy…" Riza tugged gently on his arm from behind.

Her voice and touch pulled Roy out of his furious thoughts. He turned to see what was the matter, and as he did so, Riza slid her arms carefully around him with her hands resting on his back. Riza began to cry as she held him there, staining his dusty shirt with her warm tears. Roy stood motionless, unsure how to react to the situation. They remained in silence with Riza holding him tightly and sobbing softly. Roy's mind was blank as she held him there, supporting his broken body from falling with her own. Roy's arms remained at his sides, and the rifle now hung limply in his hand.

"Roy..." Riza squeezed him tighter as she spoke and breaking him from his empty trance. "It's okay, Roy. You don't have to be so strong all the time…"

With tears suddenly beginning to brim in his own eyes, he let the rifle fall lightly to the ground from his fingers lightly. It clacked hollowly on the ground as it landed. Roy wrapped his arms slowly around her and silently returned the embrace.

* * *

Note: This is a short bittersweet chapter that I really enjoyed writing. I hope it came across as so to you. I have the next couple of chapters planned out, and I'm looking forward to them greatly. Thanks to everyone for your continued support. I hope I didn't disappoint your expectations on this one, Monk'ichii. If there are any suggestions or questions, feel free to drop me a quick review, and I will get back to you ASAP. Well, until the next chapter, I wish everyone the best and until next time.


	9. Chapter 9: Empty

Chapter 9: Empty

* * *

Riza's eyes fluttered briefly as she sleepily opened her eyes. Through the dim light peeking through, she could see the green canopy of trees above her. As she stretched the sleep from her body, she could not remember how she got there or why she was even there in the first place. Propping herself up, she noticed that Roy was also lying on the ground not far from her except that he was still asleep.

"Hey, Roy." Riza whispered as she softly shook her sleeping friend. "Wake up."

"Hmm? What?" Roy muttered incoherently. "What are we doing here?"

"I have no idea." Riza stifled a laugh. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

"We must have come to Edinburgh Forest." Roy yawned as he stretched his arms. "Probably dozed off or something."

A sudden rustle in the nearby bushes caused Riza's eyes to snap warily to where the sound had come from. Ominous shadows were cast all around them due to the canopy effect of the leafy forest above them. Squinting into the shadows, Riza thought she saw someone's figure prowling around, but it could have just as easily been her imagination playing tricks with her head.

"Roy." Riza whispered nervously. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Roy replied without restraining the volume of his voice.

"Shhh!" Riza hissed as she began to grow uneasy as the rustling continued. "Keep it down."

Suddenly, five figures seemed to materialize from the shadows. There was a dull glint of metal reflecting off of their weapons as they walked into the dim light. From the insignias on their uniforms, they were definitely Drachman soldiers. As they appeared, Roy quickly jumped in front of Riza, attempting to shield her from view with his body. Hiding behind Roy, Riza dared not look at the menacing group of soldiers approaching them.

"Well, well." The Drachman officer leading the others whistled. "What do we have here?"

"It seems we found two lost pups that have wandered too far from their homes, sir." A soldier replied with a menacing laugh. "We could hold them hostage or we can just kill them right here. I have a score to settle with Amestris after their military pushed us out of the town we were supposed to raid."

The man lifted his rifle, aiming it Roy, and switched off the safety. However, the Drachman officer quickly placed a firm hand on the rifle's barrel and lowered it to the ground. The officer walked several steps forward for a closer look. Riza had latched herself to Roy's back, too afraid to let go. Roy tried to appear brave although Riza could feel his body quaking with fear. The officer gave a satisfied grunt.

"Two Amestrian teenagers. A black-haired boy and a blonde girl. Looks like we may have found them." A sinister smile grew on the man's face. "Ransom is out of the question. You know we don't take prisoners or extra baggage. However, I believe there may be someone else among us who would enjoy killing these two far more."

"They sure do fit the description."

"Hey!" The Drachman officer called to the empty shadows. "We've found the two responsible for your little fire accident!"

A Drachman soldier suddenly emerged and shoved his way to the front. As he walked into the light, the man's face or what was left of it was illuminated. Riza felt herself grow nauseous at the sight, for the right side of the man's face had been burned into a grotesque mask.

"Remember me?" The soldier snickered. "I hope you do, for there is no way I would have forgotten you two. I don't know how you two made fire appear, but I know that you two are responsible. Do you see what your Amestrian witchcraft did to me, what it did to my face? I've been itching for revenge ever since."

"W-why can't you just leave us and our town alone?" Riza managed to stutter from behind Roy.

"Oh, but I can't do that. Not until this whole town is burned to the ground. I want this whole town to suffer and die, and I will start with the two of you."

The soldier walked forward and grabbed Roy by the neck. As the soldier tore Roy away from her, Riza clung on desperately. She wanted so badly to scream and fight against what was happening but somehow neither her voice nor her body would respond. The only thing she could do was to hold onto Roy for dear life.

The soldier slammed the stock of his pistol into her head, and Riza fell back in a daze. She had felt the impact, the force that flung her to the ground. However, there was no pain. She felt nothing, absolutely nothing. Not even dread for what she knew was about to happen. Nobody was coming to rescue them this time. Her father would not suddenly appear in their midst with flames flying. The Amestrian military had no idea they were out here. They were on their own, and they had no hope to cling to.

"Since last time didn't seem to work out as planned, how about I switch it up this time?" The soldier checked to see if his pistol was loaded and pointed it at Roy's chest. "I'll kill this boy first, and then I'll get to you. Oh, and I won't make it quick like I was planning to last time."

The soldier pulled the trigger, firing a round at point blank into Roy's chest. The bullet punched through his body, puncturing his lungs in the process.

Riza watched in horror as Roy collapsed to the ground with blood spilling from his wound. She felt the urge to scream, but her voice still would not respond. She crawled to where Roy lay on the ground, coughing and gasping for air as blood from his wound filled his lungs.

"Roy! Roy! Don't die! You cannot die! Say something!" Riza choked as she pressed both her hands against the hole in his chest, trying to stop the profuse bleeding. "Please…don't leave me alone…"

Roy did not respond. His light in his eyes faded and grew dim and distant as the color drained from his face. Riza picked Roy's lifeless body as she knelt beside him. She could feel his blood seeping through her clothes. Riza desperately continued to hug him as if hoping for him to suddenly come back to life again as if nothing had happened.

The Drachman soldier watched with satisfaction as the boy died in her arms. Satisfied with the suffering he had caused, the Drachman soldier approached the silent girl.

"It looks like your friend has finally died. Don't worry. Since there is no one here to suffer and watch you die, I'll make it quick for you."

Riza looked up at the Drachman soldier without emotion as she held Roy's lifeless body in her arms. The man was slightly taken aback by her apathetic appearance. There were not tears. No cries of pain. No look of fear or dread in her eyes. She was merely an empty shell, devoid of emotion.

Riza felt the cold steel of the man's pistol between her eyes. It was all about to be over. At this point, Riza reasoned that death would only reunite her with Roy. Thus, Riza almost welcomed the prospect of a quick, painless death. Riza looked up past the metal barrel at her to-be murderer.

She saw him squeeze the trigger and felt the slight movement of wind in the gun's barrel as the lead bullet thundered towards her. It was her one way ticket to seeing Roy.

* * *

Note: I'll try to get the next chapter out a little faster next time. The next several chapters that I have planned are when things really start to get in motion. Thank you everyone for their continued support for my story and Monk'ichii, -HoPeLeSsRoMaNtIc-29-, BlackBrightField2007 for your reviews!


	10. Chapter 10: Fading Innocence

Chapter 10: Fading Innocence

* * *

_Why?_

_Why am I so helpless? Why am I so weak? Why can't I protect anyone? _

_I'm always the one needing protection or saving, and all I can do is watch, helpless, from the side. If only I were stronger, I could protect those I care about. If only I were stronger, I would not always need to ask for help. If only I were stronger, I…_

_If only I were stronger…_

Riza's eyes snapped open. The forest and the Drachman soldiers had vanished. However, Roy was also gone. Riza glanced around nervously at her new surroundings or, more accurately, her complete lack of surroundings. Replacing everything was an infinite expanse of pure white as far as her eye could see. She reached a hand up hesitantly to her head where a gun's barrel had been placed just moments ago. No wound. No blood.

_I guess I really am dead. But where am I?_

"Hello?" Riza called out as she got to her feet. "Is there anybody there? Roy? Are you out there?"

"Hello." A girl's voice echoed from behind her.

As Riza turned around abruptly to see who had hailed her, she saw a pure white, formless being, only distinguishable by a shadowy outline, standing several meters away. There were absolutely no physical features present on the formless being. However, that did not stop a nervous chill from creeping up her spine. It was like she was looking into a mirror and seeing her reflection.

"Umm…who are you?"

"Who am I?" Riza's formless reflection giggled with amusement. "Now that's a funny question because I am called so many titles. Some call me the Gatekeeper. Others call me the Ferryman. I am Death, and I am Life. I am One, and I am All. I am what some humans call God, the World, or the Universe. I am also You."

"You are me…?"

"Yes, in a sense."

"How is that possible?"

"I know your desires, your fears, and your feelings."A small smirk appeared on her reflection's face. "I know that you feel guilty for making your father break his oath. I know you hate being helpless. I know you want the strength to protect those you care about. I know you fear that someday your helplessness will cause you to lose those you wish to protect but cannot. Am I not right? Riza Hawkeye."

"I think you may know more about me than I do about myself." Riza replied grudgingly.

"Being who I am, I know the truth behind all things. That is why some people also call me Truth, and you may address me as such."

"Truth, where am I?"

"You are currently in my world, the plane between life and death."

"The plane in between?"

"Yes."

"I'm not supposed to be here…you know, in between, am I?"

"You are quite perceptive. You are not supposed to be here. Many humans have passed through here after they die, but I hardly have visitors. Any visitors are usually alchemists who foolishly think they can play God. However, you belong in neither group."

"Neither groups?" Riza gasped with sudden realization. "Wait! Are you saying that I'm not dead?"

"You are correct."

_If I'm not, maybe Roy isn't either! After everything that has just happened, anything is possible, right? It couldn't hurt to just ask…_

"Umm…I was with someone before coming here. Is he okay?"

"I assume you are asking about that friend of yours Roy Mustang. I assume you meant to ask me if he is alive, and my response would be that he is. He is just as much alive as you are."

"Thank you." Riza breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is he someone special to you?"

"Yes, he is." Riza allowed herself a small giggle after realizing how strange Truth's question really was.

"And you laugh…?"

"I just think that it's a little funny for you to ask me that since you claim to know what I feel so well. You should already know he is someone special."

"Spare me, Riza Hawkeye. Being in this realm, I do not have many opportunities to talk with anyone, and even deities get lonely sometimes. Even though I already know the answers, allow me to enjoy my attempts at conversation."

"You know, Truth. For being such an omnipotent being and all, you really aren't all that intimidating. On the other hand, you are really kind of silly."

"And now you are mocking me?" Truth let out an echoing laugh. "After being in this realm for so many countless years, this has never happened before."

"There is always a first time."

"And to think a puny little human dare talk to me like this." Truth's laughter grew louder, forcing Riza to cover her ears to dampen the uproarious laughter. "I must say, Riza Hawkeye. For a human, you are most interesting."

Now that her most pressing concern was cleared, Riza could now worry about her current bizarre situation. Although she knew that she did not belong in this world, she had no idea how she even entered it or how she could leave.

"Truth, how did I get here?"

"You are here of your own accord. You wanted to be here."

"I did?"

"You were tired of being weak. You want to be stronger so you can protect others. Who better to grant your wish other than what you perceive as God?"

"You can do that?" Riza asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I can. However, nothing comes without a price. I'm sure you are aware about equivalent exchange from your alchemist father. The power you seek will come at a cost. I suggest you forget your foolish ambitions. If you do, I'll send you back to your world the way you are. How will you proceed knowing this?"

"You should already know that I will not turn down your offer. Truth, you above all should already know the answer to your own question. You don't need to feign ignorance when you already know what I will decide."

"Riza Hawkeye." A small smile appeared on Truth's face. "For a human, you are indeed very interesting. However, what you have chosen will have its consequences in your future."

"I've made my decision. Name your price, Truth."

"Since you are not here through alchemy and an act of hubris, your payment will be different from what I normally take."

"Which is?"

"Your innocence. The woman you would have become and the life you would have lived. That carefree future will no longer be yours. That should be payment enough for what I intend to give you."

Riza stood silent for several moments. _My innocence? What does that even mean? How will Truth even take my future? However, I do not want to always be protected in the future. I do not want to watch helpless anymore._ Riza took a deep breath.

"It's yours."

"Then, we have an agreement." An eerily wide grin appeared on Truth's face. "Although you are no alchemist, I can still give you the power you seek but in a very different form. Even for a weak human such as you without alchemy, I can still give you the power to protect."

Riza suddenly felt an ominous aura from behind and turned around to find herself dwarfed by a giant pair of stone doors. The stone doors were engraved with a mural of an angel with its magnificent wings wrapped around a tiny source of light, glowing before the heavenly being.

"The power you seek is behind those gates. You may turn back now or you may have your power for a price. I suggest you leave this offer and return to the life you will have without seeing what is inside."

"Show me."

"As you wish. I did warn you..."

As the doors began to slowly open, a single large eye from within the gate appeared and several shadow-like hands emerged and slowly crept towards Riza. She felt the icy grip of the ethereal hands wrap around her and pull her towards the gate. Riza found herself engulfed in darkness as the doors of the gate closed behind her. Suddenly, the darkness was replaced by a brilliant flood of light.

Riza felt the shadows holding her loosen their grasp. She fell down and down, plummeting deeper into the blinding light. As she fell, millions of images flashed across her eyes. She wanted to look away, to close her eyes, but she could not. However, she had no control over her body. Riza continued to fall as her mind painfully imprinted everything shown before her.

"No! Please stop it! No more! Roy! Father! Somebody! Stop!"

"Equivalent exchange, no?" Truth's laughter echoed around her as Riza felt herself lose consciousness and fade into darkness. "It is time for you to return to your world. We'll meet again. I guarantee it, Riza Hawkeye."

* * *

Note: So I wonder how Riza's encounter with Truth will play out later? Heh heh. You'll find out later. I promise. Thank you everyone for their continued despite the long delay and -HoPeLeSsRoMaNtIc-29-, BlackBrightField2007, Red Walrus for your reviews! Suggestions, criticism, and comments are always welcome.


	11. Chapter 11: Broken People

Chapter 11: Broken People

* * *

Riza's mind snapped awake. Pain was shooting throughout each of her limbs as if her body was slowly being broken down cell by cell. She screamed and fell out of the makeshift bed she was laying in and onto the cold tile floor. On the ground, she curled her body in tightly in an attempt to fight the intense pain that was tearing her body apart.

"Doctor!" A woman's voice echoed distantly in Riza's ears. "She's finally awake!"

Riza vaguely heard the rush of hurried footsteps as several people entered the room. The pain suddenly grew more intense, causing her body to involuntarily convulse violently on the ground

"Hold her still!" The gentle yet confident voice of another woman ordered. "She's going to hurt herself at this rate!"

Riza screamed again as she struggled against the hands that were attempting to keep her still. Two fingers were pressed against one of her wrists and then her neck, checking her pulse. Suddenly, the onslaught of pain vanished completely, and Riza felt her body grow still and weak. The hands restraining her loosened their grips with uncertainty.

"Doctor...?" The same voice asked with confusion. "She just went limp. Is this supposed to happen?"

"I'm not sure, but she seems stable now." Riza once again felt someone check her pulse. "Her pulse is normal. This is certainly odd. Nevermind, let's get her off the floor, shall we?"

Riza felt herself being lifted off the ground and placed gently onto a bed. With the pain gone, she slowly opened her eyes just a crack. She saw the familiar color of the ceiling and walls around her, the dusty look of a blackboard, and multiple desks and chairs pushed against the walls. For some reason, she was in one of her school's classrooms, but it was beyond her what she was doing in there. For that matter, she did not recognize the people gathered around and casting curious glances at her.

"Dear, I'm Doctor Swann." The voice of the lady who had checked her pulse asked as she held a stethoscope to her chest. "I'm going to ask you some simple questions. Can you tell me your name and how old you are?"

"Riza Hawkeye…" Riza spoke weakly. "I'm fifteen."

"Thank goodness." The doctor breathed with relief. "Now can you tell me any other people you know like family members or friends?"

"My dad, Berthold Hawkeye…" Riza answered, unsure why the doctor was asking her such easy questions. "Can I see him?"

"He's been busy helping out around town with his medical alchemy, but he'll be back later in the evening to see you."

"Why am I at my school?" Riza asked curiously as she glanced again at the desks against the walls.

"The military designated Edinburgh High School as an emergency triage center. We're using this place temporarily to treat wounds and injuries. And what about a friend's name?"

"Roy." Riza replied before her memories suddenly hit her. "Roy! Where is he? Is he okay?"

Riza sprung forward in panic before falling back weakly onto her bed.

"You must be talking about the boy whose been sitting outside for the past few days. Except for some bruises and minor rib fractures, he seems to be doing fine physically."

"But I thought…he was shot." Riza choked on her words before the doctor's words really hit her. "Past few days? What do you mean?"

"Dear, you've just awoken from a coma. We've been monitoring your condition for almost a week now, and about Roy, I didn't treat him for any bullet wounds. You might be remembering things wrong."

"A coma…" Riza repeated numbly, not sure how to respond to the news.

"Being in the state you were in may have led to some mental damage. Your memories before entering your comatose state may have been affected."

"No, I remember it clear as day." Riza stated defiantly. "I remember…watching him die. I also died…"

The doctor and the several other nurses looked at each other with worried expressions. Riza knew they did not believe her, and after really thinking about it, she began to doubt what she said as well. After all, she was alive right here and now, and apparently, Roy was sitting right outside the classroom.

"Would you like to see him?" Dr. Swann suggested hopefully. "Maybe, you'll be more convinced that way. However, I am warning you that his mental state is a wreck. He hasn't said a word since we brought him in and has barely eaten anything. He's barely gotten any sleep either. The poor boy, losing his parents like that…" The doctor's voice trailed off sadly as she cast a lingering glance at the door to the room. "You must be someone special to him if he's been sitting outside waiting for you this whole time."

"We've known each other for a long time." Riza replied quietly.

"I'll bring him right in for you, and we'll leave you two alone." The doctor spoke as she motioned for her colleagues to step out of the room as well. "I'll be back to check on you later."

Dr. Swann held the door open as everyone filed out quietly and followed afterwards. She reappeared shortly with Roy standing beside and motioned for him to enter before closing the door behind him. Riza felt a wave of relief seeing him alive. Whatever she had remembered about their deaths now seemed like a mere figment of her imagination, yet a slight nagging feeling remained. However, her heart soon sank as she saw his ghostly features. His eyes were hollow and dead.

Seeing his broken form, Riza tried to climb out of her makeshift bed. She wanted to just hold him, hug him until life returned once again, anything to break him from his lifeless trance. However, after swinging her feet off her makeshift bed, she found that her body was still weak after what happened earlier and her legs gave out below her. She fell to a floor with a thud.

"Come on, stupid legs." Riza muttered to herself as she tried to stand. All the while, she was feeling slightly embarrassed and extremely useless.

Before she could lift herself to her feet, Roy was there helping her up. Riza teetered precariously as she finally managed to find enough strength to stand. Roy never took his eyes off of her.

"Riza…" Roy finally spoke, his voice a mixture of disbelief and joy.

"Roy…?"

"Thank goodness. It's really you."

Roy suddenly reached forward and hugged her tightly. Although surprised at first, Riza returned the gesture. Although there were no tears, Riza could tell her friend was crying. Crying would actually be too mild for what she felt Roy was doing. All the pain and emotions that he had kept stored away in silence for the past few days were leaving his body. She felt his body quiver and shake as he continued to hold her. Riza simply hugged back, sharing in his sorrow. After all, it was the only thing she could think of doing.

"You're the only person I have left in this world now." Roy finally spoke while still holding her tightly to his body. "When you suddenly went limp in my arms and collapsed after your father left, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't bear to lose you, too. Then, you never woke back up. Even the doctors from the military didn't know what to do. With every passing day seeing you lie there like that, I thought for sure that you were never going to wake back up, and I kept thinking it was my fault that you ended up like that. I'm sorry. Because of me, you were dragged into everything, too. I'm sorry…"

"Roy, please don't blame yourself anymore…" Riza answered softly. "I don't want you hurting yourself anymore."

As she stood there supporting his mourning figure, Riza could feel tears beginning to well up in her own eyes. She quickly buried her face into Roy's shoulder to hide her tears.

Riza continued to hold onto him, hoping desperately that any minute she would snap out of a terrible nightmare, that Roy's parents would still be alive, and that the tragedies of that day could all be forgotten.

However, as time went by, Riza knew their lives would never be the same again. The halcyon days of their childhood were gone, snatched away before they could say farewell. The present was in motion, shoving them into an uncertain tomorrow. There would be no return to innocence.

* * *

Note: After about five months of inactivity, I've finally released a new chapter. I'm sorry about the terrible delay. I was too busy last semester to do any creative thinking/writing. Also for future reference, Riza's father will be referred to as Berthold and not Nathaniel in accordance to the anime series.


	12. Chapter 12: Women

Chapter 12: Women

* * *

A week had passed since Riza had awoken from her coma, and Dr. Swann had moved her to a mobile hospital set up by the military. Although Riza felt that she was fine physically and did not need further medical attention, Dr. Swann had insisted on keeping an eye on her for just a couple more days. This being the case, Riza had spent the past several days confined to her bed in a beige white room.

Riza was honestly glad to leave the dingy classroom with its faint smell of chalk. The room was rather large for a single teenage girl, and when she was by herself, it made her feel rather lonely. That was often not the case for Roy was usually with her, sitting quietly beside her on the bed. Within the past few days, Roy seemed like he was turning back into his old self little by little. Although it was only a tinge of his old self that had returned, Riza could not be happier.

Her father also dropped by occasionally to check up on her, but he always had that same tired look in his eyes. Riza could tell something had changed in him. Recently, she got the feeling that although he was physically there, something seemed missing. It was as if he had become detached from the world. Her father would ask her how she was feeling and how her day was going but never much more. Riza would simply answer his questions, and after that, the master alchemist would leave without a sound.

A sudden knock on the door startled her from her daydreaming, and Dr. Swann entered shortly afterwards with her usual warming smile.

"Good afternoon, Riza. How are you feeling today? Any changes from yesterday or still the same?"

"Same as yesterday."

"No change is a good thing." Dr. Swann notated on her clipboard. Riza sat still as the doctor ran through her usual routine of measuring her temperature, and checking her blood pressure, and other doctor-related things. "I really can't find anything wrong with you. You're eating fine and sleeping well. Although neither I nor the other doctors have figured out why you experienced so much pain upon waking up, there hasn't been a recurrence yet. I think I've kept you here long enough."

"So I can leave today?"

"Yes, of course. I just need to file a medical report, and you'll be on your way. I'll be back shortly to guide you out. Is there anything I can get you while I make you wait just a little bit longer?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Okay then. See you in a bit." Dr. Swann opened the door to find Roy waiting patiently outside. "Oh, perfect timing. Roy, can you keep Riza company, while I file some paperwork. When I'm back, we can walk her out together."

"She can leave?" Roy asked surprised.

"Yup. I just can't seem to find anything wrong with her." Dr. Swann grinned and disappeared around a bend in the hallway.

"She's finally letting you leave?" Roy asked with surprise as he entered the room and sat down beside her on the hospital bed.

"Seems like it." Riza replied in a daze.

Roy waved his hand in front of Riza's face, snapping her out of her trance. "Why do you always get like this after Dr. Swann checks up on you?"

"Huh?" Riza replied, feigning ignorance. "I don't know what you mean."

"Hmm, really?" Roy answered, unconvinced. "For the past week, you always seem slightly flustered after Dr. Swann is in here. Well, not really flustered. Uncomfortable might be the word. Well, I don't really know." Roy scratched his head trying to think of the best way to describe what he saw.

"It almost sounds like you are the flustered one right now." Riza teased playfully, diverting from the topic.

"Hey, how'd this become about me." Roy sighed as a small smile tugged at his face. "Well, suit yourself. I was just curious."

Actually, Riza knew exactly what Roy was vaguely referring to. The way Dr. Swann acted around her was what Riza considered motherly. Since her own mother died when she was very young before she could even remember, Riza was quite unused to so much attention. Thus, whenever Dr. Swann was present, Riza always felt pleasantly jittery.

Riza eventually found out the reason why the doctor seemed to spoil her with care. During one of her daily checkups, Dr. Swann mentioned how Riza reminded her of her own daughter. Her name was Miranda, and she was older than Riza by only a few months. She lived in East City with friends of the family whenever her mother was summoned by the Eastern Army, which was quite often.

However, she knew better than to tell Roy all of this. It had only been two weeks since his parents' tragedy, yet Riza could tell he was slowly recovering. She feared explaining this would cause Roy to revert into a lifeless shell and to lose the progress he had made. Having him talk again was already more than enough to make her secretly overjoyed.

"Riza, there's someone who wants to meet you outside." Roy spoke quietly. "She's in the hallway right now. My aunt. Is it okay if I bring her in?"

"O-of course, Roy." Riza stammered.

Riza could tell he was hiding something from her, and she had a vague idea of what was about to happen. She watched nervously as Roy headed for the door and opened it. Riza swallowed hard, trying to quell the nervous butterflies fluttering about inside her.

"It's okay to come in, Aunt Christmas."

A rather gruff-looking woman walked in behind Roy. She carefully watched as Roy hopped back onto the hospital bed to take back his spot beside the teenage girl. Her eyes met those of the girl, and she knew immediately that she would like her.

She was used to people staring at her with disdain and even disgust for the way she dressed or the way she looked or for her line of work. However, this girl propped up by pillows in the hospital bed watched her without any judgment or prejudice. They were eyes filled with compassion and caring for her nephew. They were they eyes of someone in love though she knew the girl had yet to realize it. Nevertheless, she could detect a hint of fear and uncertainty. They were also eyes that vaguely knew she was here to take Roy away, to take him away from the small town of Edinburgh, and to take him away from her. The woman felt guilty for the conversation that was about to follow.

"I'm Riza Hawkeye." The girl held out a hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Chris Mustang, but you can call me Christmas." The woman walked forward and shook Riza's hand. "Robert Mustang was my older brother."

"Riza." Roy spoke up. "I have something I need to tell you abou-."

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Riza interrupted softly. "You're leaving Edinburgh."

"How did you…" Roy stammered.

"I just had a feeling…" Riza replied sullenly.

"What happened two weeks ago was due to a Drachman forward scouting party." Christmas interjected, deciding that it would be better to enlighten the two about the current situation. "However, the main Drachman force has been moving about the northeastern border of Amestris. Lieutenant General Grumman of Eastern Headquarters has dispatched several battalions to the northeastern region as a deterrent, but since Edinburgh is rather close to the northeastern border of Amestris, the military recently released a statement highly recommending that everyone evacuate in case Drachma decides to invade. If they do, Edinburgh will be one of the first cities to come under attack. The same situation is occurring in all the other cities and towns near the here as well."

Roy and Riza listened to Aunt Christmas in disbelief. Roy knew that he was leaving with his aunt because she had taken legal guardianship over him after the death of his parents. However, he had no idea that a looming war was also part of why he was leaving Edinburgh.

"Wait!" Roy nearly shouted. "Riza, what about you? Aren't you evacuating as well?"

"I'm not sure. My father hasn't said anything to me about evacuating."

"That doesn't make any sense. There's no way you are staying, right?" Roy regretted what he said the second the words left his mouth and reached his ears. A sudden creeping sensation made him feel like he had just jinxed the entire situation.

"When are you leaving?" Riza asked in return, avoiding Roy's question.

"After the funeral…" Roy's voice trailed off. "Tomorrow morning."

Riza winced. Tomorrow morning was much too soon.

"If you and your father need a temporary place to stay, you two are welcome to come to Central with us." Christmas suggested. "Your father's name was Berthold, wasn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Riza replied, feeling a little more hopeful.

"I'll try to find him later and mention it."

There was a knock on the door, and Dr. Swann entered the room with her usual smiling demeanor.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important, but I've filed the report on Riza. You're set to check out now. Just let me know when you're done here."

"It's okay. We were just about finished here." Christmas replied. "I'm sure Riza is ready for sunlight and fresh air once again.

"Of course." Dr. Swann spoke with a slight hint of regret. "Let's get you to the front door and out of here."

With the familiar tingling sensation of being around Dr. Swann returning, Riza nodded silently in reply and hopped off of the hospital bed. With Dr. Swann in the lead, the trio headed for the front door. As they were walking down the hallway, Riza noticed that Roy was watching her nervously as if afraid she would suddenly collapse again.

"Well, it looks like this is goodbye." Dr Swann spoke up when they reached the front door. "If your father drops by later, I'll let him know you've left."

"Thank you for looking after me, Dr. Swann."

"Yeah, thank you for everything."

"You are quite welcome. Now, you two take care of yourselves and each other, okay?" Dr. Swann's smile seemed to disappear for a split second before she regained her composure. "I hope to never see you back here again!"

Riza was stunned for split second before catching on. "Me neither!"

"Thank you, doctor." Christmas added in before following the Roy and Riza down the stairs. "I'm sure they owe you a great deal."

"All part of the job." Dr. Swann replied briskly.

Riza turned around to give one final farewell wave to the doctor before she disappeared back into military's mobile hospital.

"Didn't you two get along pretty well?" perplexed, Roy voiced his concern. "What was that just then?"

"Oh, Roy…" A smile crept onto her face. "It's not that hard to figure out, is it?"

"What?" Roy's confusion was even more prominent now. "I don't understand. Tell me, Riza."

"No." Riza replied playfully. "I'll explain it to you later, but it would be good for you if you figured it out on your own."

"Aww, come on." Roy pleaded.

"I already told you. No."

Christmas Mustang watched from behind as Roy and Riza argued. If she did not know better, it would appear as if the tragedy two weeks ago had never happened and there would be no funeral to attend tomorrow by the way the two were acting.

"Roy-Boy, you are one lucky guy to have girl like her." Christmas whispered under her breath as she watched the two bicker with one another.

"Why don't you just tell me? You can be so stubborn sometimes."

"I am proud of my pig-headedness." Riza shot back with a grin.

"I just don't understand you women at all!" Roy cried in exasperation.


	13. Chapter 13: Whisper

Chapter 13: Whisper

* * *

A chilly wind blew through the cemetery. Riza used a hand to keep her black dress from billowing. She decided to leave her long blond hair as it was, fluttering in front of her face. She felt it was a necessary precaution to help hide any tears that she did not want others to see.

Roy stood silently next to her along with Madame Christmas and Berthold Hawkeye as they waited for the funeral ceremony to begin. Many other families were also present, gathered together to see off loved ones and friends.

The mayor of Edinburgh had decided to hold one large ceremony to commemorate all those who had died in the recent Drachman attack, for the small town of Edinburgh had lost more than just Lily and Robert Mustang.

"We are gathered here today to remember..." The mayor of Edinburgh began.

Riza reached over and held Roy's hand in hers. She felt his grip tighten when the names of his parents were honored by the mayor. It grew even tighter when the coffins of his parents were laid into the ground.

All the while, the wind danced throughout the cemetery as if it was carrying away the souls of those who had died.

After the ceremony, most of the people left quickly with a few lingering behind to give their final farewells. The town was evacuating. War would wait for no one, not even for those who had lost someone dear. Her father had disappeared right afterwards without a word to anyone. As the crowd began to thin, Riza placed a bundle of white lilies that she had picked at the meadow beside her house before the gravestone of her friend's parents.

"They're gone now…" Roy muttered.

Riza remained silent for several minutes, unable to think of anything to say.

"Roy, it's about time for us to leave." Madame Christmas suggested gently from behind, breaking the silence. "Our train leaves within the hour."

"Yes, I know." Roy answered his aunt sadly before turning his eyes to meet Riza's. "Aunt Christmas, may I have just a few more minutes?"

"Yes, of course." Madame Christmas replied with understanding as she started walking off. "I'll be waiting for you at the entrance gate."

"Riza, are you sure your father won't change his mind? I mean you could stay with me and Aunt Christmas. I don't think it would be a problem at all." Roy's voice grew slightly panicked with fear. "He isn't seriously considering staying here, is he?"

"I'm sorry, Roy. I wish it could be different, but he's already made up his mind. There's no changing it."

"But why? Does he not understand how dangerous the situation is?"

"Roy, I don't know." Riza felt her voice choke in her throat as she let go of his hand and cast her gaze to the ground. "Roy, please…no more questions. There's no changing his mind."

Roy could tell continuing the subject would only hurt her more. Despite Riza's pleading and his Aunt's reasoning the night before, Berthold Hawkeye had refused to budge from his decision to stay in Edinburgh despite the evacuation order.

Roy took hold of both her shoulders. "Riza." He prompted in a firm voice. "Riza, look at me. Please."

Riza slowly lifted her gaze from the ground. She was slightly taken aback to see a pair of confident eyes staring into hers. These were not the eyes of someone who had just lost his parents. Instead, they were filled with will and determination.

"Riza." Roy spoke with confidence. "Do something for me, okay? Promise me that you will take care of yourself while I'm gone. Promise me that you will stay safe, okay?"

"W-what?" Riza stammered, thrown off by Roy's request.

"Promise me that you will take care of yourself and stay safe until I come back." Roy repeated with even more fervor.

Riza wiped away a tear that had begun forming in her eye. "I'll…I'll do my best, Roy."

"That's not good enough."

"I promise." Riza could not hold back a small smile. Her friend's persistence was really quite something.

"Good." Roy grinned with satisfaction. "I know you are not one to break your promises."

"Roy…" Riza spoke with a tinge of disappointment with herself. "Why are you always the one to make me feel better?"

"Well, you know me." Roy let go of her shoulders and attempted to strike a pose with his hands on his hips and chin high in the air. "Heh, I don't know how to worry about myself."

Riza giggled softly. "Roy, you should probably go now. You'll miss your train if you stay here much longer."

"You're right." Roy sighed and knelt down next to his parents' gravestone. "I'm leaving now. Mom…Dad…I'm going to miss you two a lot. Just watch. I'm going to get stronger. I'm not going to let anything take away anyone close to me again. Goodbye." Roy stood up to leave, letting his hand run slowly along the top of the gravestone. "Well, Riza. I guess it's time to say goodbye.

"You mean 'so long' for now." Riza teased, hopeful. "I'll see you again soon."

"You're right." Roy laughed at himself. "Don't forget your promise."

"I won't." Riza assured him solemnly.

"Aw, come here!" Roy abruptly hugged her tightly. "It will be like you just said. We'll see each other soon."

"Yes, I know." Riza hugged him back tightly, unwilling to let go. After some time, she gave him one final squeeze. "You need to go. You'll miss your train."

"Well, goodbye, Riza. See you soon."

"Yes, soon….goodbye."

Riza watched Roy meet his aunt at the cemetery grate. After they left, Riza turned around to also kneel beside the gravestone of his friend's parents.

"You're proud of him, aren't you?" Riza spoke aloud.

The wind whispered through the cemetery as if in agreement.

"I suppose I am, too." Riza smiled. "Roy really is resilient. You've just left, yet he's still standing tall and pressing forward. It is as if the Drachman attack and all the anguish that followed, has only made him stronger. He's still himself, pushing past despair to embrace what tomorrow holds in store for him." Riza could only wish that one day she could be able to say the same about herself.

Riza stood up and tucked a lock of her blond hair behind an ear. She watched as the outlines of Roy and his aunt slowly disappeared into the rising sun. Riza held her hand to her chest where her heart suddenly began aching, as if someone was squeezing and pulling it from her chest.

"I guess I didn't fully realize it until now. I must have fallen in love with him a long time ago..."

And the wind whispered around her as if in agreement.

* * *

Note: Thanks for everyone who has been reading! I greatly appreciate the support. Shout out to BlackBrightField2007 and Monk'ichii for your continued support and reviews! As usual feel free to share and comments, praise, or criticism. All are welcome and appreciated!


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